First let me say that yes, I did use the 'Search' feature before posting. I wore it out, in fact. I found many similar issues, but nothing specific and I still have the same question.
Secondly...I'm just a girl. I don't know a great deal about automobile repair, but I do know this much: If I so much as travel past an auto repair business, thousands of dollars in charges appear on my credit card statement. I have a capable and willing father, stepfather, boyfriend and ex-husband who can help me with actual repairs but I like to try to accurately diagnose my problems before I ask them for help with repair.
FACTS:
1995 GMC Jimmy 4.3L V6 Vortec 4WD SLT
157,630 miles
SES Code 174 / System Rich, Bank 2
OBSERVATIONS:
Smells like gas
Misses out like crazy
SES light is sporadic, seems to appear and disappear without any pattern
Fuel efficiency SUCKS - yes, I know it's an SUV but this is too, too much
Sputters more when A/C is running
When I punch it / floor it / goose it, the A/C blows out the 'defrost' vents rather than the dash vents
When driving at steady speeds, A/C blows out the dash like normal
Temp is always ok / doesn't get 'hot'
Nothing leaking underneath
Doesn't die on me, or at least it hasn't yet
THOUGHTS:
Could be the MAP sensor, any of the O2 sensors, the fuel pressure regulator, or something I haven't thought of yet.
All these are simple enough to replace and aren't terribly costly parts, but I don't want to go out and buy $300 worth of parts and have someone put them on for me just to find out that none of those were the problem to begin with.
What I'm trying to avoid here is taking it to a shop and paying them $100 to tell me which part(s) to replace, but I realize that I might have to do exactly that.
Help? Me? Please?
